12 Tips To Gain Quality Sales Leads At Your Trade Show Booth

For most companies, a trade show is a tough nut to crack! Companies new to the trade show circuit have no clue on how to convert a cramped trade show booth into a source of high marketing potential. Firstly, let’s get one thing straight – the best way to host a successful trade show booth is by generating a lot of excitement and positivity around it. This article will provide you with the right path ahead to ensure long-term trade show success!

1. Arrive at a main goal

What’s the purpose of attending the event? How many leads are you looking for? Sit with your team and arrive at a clear picture. Make sure you have a plan that will help you gain quality leads at the event.

2. Get advice from the trade show’s management team

Most trade shows are run by a successful team of professionals who have the expert know-how to host victorious marketing campaigns. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with them for quality tips. For example, you could ask about the right booth layout to be chosen to gain high traffic visits. You could also ask for other trade show marketing ideas; they will be glad to be of help so that your business benefits from their event!

3. Send personalized messages to clients

Do you know of clients that live or work near the location of the trade show event? Send them personalized invites asking them to meet you at your booth. Give them an idea about what to expect so that they are better prepared to do business with you during the event

4. Highlight the event on Facebook and Twitter

Your social media pages will offer quality exposure for the event. Make sure you announce exciting giveaways as well that can be claimed at the event.

5. Launch an email marketing campaign

Send emails to a huge chunk of your prospective target audience to ensure they turn up in big numbers at your booth. Make sure the email is informative and provide coupons if possible to collect special gifts at the booth.

6. Make sure current customers don’t feel left out!

Yes, the focus of most trade show appearances is to connect with prospective customers but current customers are likely to pay a visit to your booth as well. Ensure they don’t feel ignored or left out. Set aside time for them as well so that everybody gets equal opportunities to meet your team. You can set up face-to-face meetings with important customers during the event. These meetings should be scheduled well in advance.

7. Participate in a corporate discussion during the event

Make sure that an important member of your team participates in a panel or roundtable discussion during the event. This will add credibility to what your business does, allowing booth visitors to view you in a different light.

8. Make sure that your booth is filled with friendly staff

Get the most knowledgeable and talented employees to represent your business at the booth. They will be able to efficiently answer any queries booth visitors may have. It’s also a great idea to have employees standing across the convention floor to attract more people to your booth.

9. Provide real-time access to offerings

Booth visitors will need to experience your offerings first-hand. Make sure you have a couple of product samples ready for them so that they understand the worthiness of your offerings.

10. Distribute press kits

Prepare a high-quality press kit that can be distributed among reporters during the event. Fill the kit with useful promotional material about your company so that media personnel gain a complete picture about your business.

11. Spruce up your primary website, social media profiles and blog

A lot of booth visitors will want to check your online presence before volunteering as a potential lead. Ensure that your online assets are updated so that they are confident about doing further business with you.

12. Invest in trade show giveaways

No trade show is complete without promotional merchandise. Buy pens, bags, mugs or any of our eye-catching and useful giveaways to ensure trade show visitors take fond memories of your business when they return home!

Found these tips useful? Get in touch with our team for more exciting ideas on how to interact with booth visitors. Our marketing insights and expertise on promotional merchandise will help take your brand ahead of competition!

Susan Smith is a digital marketing strategist responsible for driving online visibility for Promo Direct. She oversees the social media strategy for the company and manages product campaigns to build brand awareness. Susan can be followed on Google+ and Twitter.